


True Romance

by Dazzlious



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 18:49:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9085267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dazzlious/pseuds/Dazzlious
Summary: The war is long over and Hermione is doing very nicely in her career at the Ministry of Magic, thank you very much. She doesn’t need a man to make her world complete . . . or does she? Lucius Malfoy might just have other ideas.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from JK Rowling’s fantastic books or films, I’m just borrowing and playing with them for a little while and get no monetary reward for doing so. 
> 
> A/N: Set a decade after the end of the war. This is pure smut for smut’s sake. Thank you to my beta, Mamacita, for her sterling work as always. Enjoy! Dx

Hermione stared in surprise at the man coming towards her talking intently to the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. She hadn’t realised that Lucius Malfoy was back in the country. He and his wife, Narcissa, had decided to leave Malfoy Manor and move to their chateau somewhere in southern France shortly after the end of the war although, of course, this decision had nothing to do with the fact that he was about to be arrested and put on trial for being a Death Eater.

She was actually even more surprised that he would be welcome here at the Ministry of Magic considering everything he had done, including running away from justice, but then for people like Malfoy the mud never stuck for long so she supposed it wasn’t really a shock. His considerable wealth and his handsome good looks — he was still extremely striking for a man of his age — hid the darker flaws in his character, flaws that most were eager to overlook despite the terrible things the man had done over the years.

There were still those who remembered the real Lucius Malfoy, but the years had passed and peace and prosperity reigned in the wizarding world. For most, even shrewd Kingsley who would most certainly remember, his investment in the rebuilding of both infrastructures and buildings damaged during the war including an extremely generous donation towards the rebuilding of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry meant that most people were keen to forget what Lucius may have done in the past and live and let live.

She gave a small grimace of a smile as Kingsley indicated he was coming her way, resigned to having to speak to the man who had ruined so much of her and her friends’ teenage lives.

‘Hermione, it’s lovely to see you,’ Kingsley told her warmly. He took her hand in both of his and shook it. ‘You remember Lucius Malfoy? Lucius, Hermione is now the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.’

Hermione was impressed that there was no sign in Kingsley’s voice of the way he really felt about Malfoy. The Ministry really were playing nice for some reason. Well, she could play the game just as well as he could.

‘Yes, of course. Hullo, Mr Malfoy. You’re looking well.’

Hermione reached out to shake his hand, wondering whether he would refuse because she was Muggle-born, but he clasped her hand and gave it a firm shake, a genuine smile on his handsome sun-kissed face.

‘Call me Lucius. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Miss Granger . . . or can I call you Hermione?’

Hermione gave a brief nod to indicate that he could, not feeling that she really had any choice in the matter if she was going to remain polite.

Before Lucius could speak further Kingsley said, ‘Hermione, I hope you don’t mind me leaving Lucius with you, just until other acquaintances find him, but I have to go and escort the Brazilian ambassador who has just arrived. There are so many people here that Lucius doesn’t know and I thought it would be good for him to see a friendly face.’

Hermione’s eyes narrowed just a fraction as she mentally railed at Kingsley for dumping Lucius on her but then she realised his seemingly easy smile had a hardness to it that was barely visible unless you knew him well. Kingsley had brought Lucius to her so she could keep an eye on him to see who he talked to, and he had given Lucius fair warning by mentioning the department for which she worked. She smiled back, seeing him relax a fraction at her understanding.

‘Of course, Kingsley. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Lucius is well looked after.’

As Kingsley walked away, Hermione turned to the blond man and began to lead him towards the small bar area.

‘Do you want a drink? There’s white or red wine . . . or a soft drink if you prefer. I’m not sure the wine is French but it should just about be drinkable. There are enough important people here this evening that they had to wheel out the vaguely decent stuff,’ she confided jokingly.

‘Red wine would be nice, thank you, Hermione – and something other than French would make a nice change,’ Lucius admitted.

They collected their glasses then moved away from the table, moving towards the edge of the large open space that was the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic.

‘This place has changed considerably since I last saw it,’ Lucius said conversationally.

‘It was extensively rebuilt after the war. That awful statue was replaced, although thankfully not by a revamp of the original one, which was almost as bad in its own way. The foliage and the faux glass roof make it far lighter and much more open — I think it looks quite nice. It’s far more inclusive, as is the Ministry itself, of course. The Floos were completely renovated and new offices were built,’ Hermione said as she gestured towards several darkened rooms that ran around the outside of the space close to where they stood. ‘Of course, we’re still all hoping that they might actually get round to redecorating the rest of the offices at some point in the near future. Some of them are almost uninhabitable.’

‘I see you’ve done well for yourself, Deputy Head of Department,’ Lucius said, and Hermione thought she could detect a hint of sarcasm in his tone. He was obviously reverting to type now the Minister for Magic wasn’t there for him to impress. ‘But are you really happy with what you’ve achieved, Hermione?’

Hermione stared at him. ‘I’m perfectly happy, thank you, Lucius. I got to do some good work with the Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures in helping to provide better conditions for house-elves, then I was lucky enough to get promotion into the Magical Law Enforcement Department, which is extremely interesting and varied.’

She ignored the slight sneer that crossed his face, knowing with some small satisfaction that the laws she had enacted to help the house-elves had probably cost Lucius a considerable amount of money.

Lucius sighed, sounding dismissive. ‘That’s all very well, Hermione but what has pursuing your career done for you? You’re still a “Miss”, aren’t you? Even Draco managed to settle down and get married eventually, but you’re still unmarried. Do you even have a boyfriend?’

The question made Hermione bristle as it was something of a sore point for her. Almost all her friends from school were now married, most of them with children, yet she hadn’t been able to find the right person for her — Ron certainly hadn’t been despite what she had once hoped at school.

Personally, Hermione didn’t see it as a problem. She was perfectly capable of having a good life without a boyfriend, although admittedly it was growing more difficult as her friends began to reproduce and stopped wanting to go out, but her mother was forever nagging her about it.

Even Mrs Weasley had once suggested, nicely, that she needed to stop working for long enough to look for a boyfriend as she was being left on the shelf — as if that was a bad thing — and whilst she really wasn’t bothered it had given her depressing visions of herself as an old woman living all alone surrounded by cats.

Lucius had a bloody cheek mentioning it, though. It really was none of his business.

‘Oops, seems I’ve hit a nerve,’ he announced gleefully as Hermione tightened her hand around the stem of the wine glass she was holding, imagining it was his throat she was strangling. She couldn’t let him get to her otherwise he would win, and then his smugness would be unbearable.

‘I’ll be honest, I’m not really that bothered. As I said, my work is interesting and that takes up my focus at the moment. I’ve no need for a boyfriend,’ Hermione told him, trying to sound dismissive although she suspected that in her anger she was trying just a bit too hard. 

Lucius studied her appraisingly for a moment, a glint of what could have been malice in his eye.

‘Really,’ he said quietly.

Unnoticed, he had reached behind him to open the door to one of the dark and empty offices. Without missing a beat and before she realised what he was doing Lucius grabbed Hermione’s free hand, pulled her through the door, and closed it behind them. Before she even had time to react he was on her, his mouth finding hers in a passionate kiss as he propelled her towards the nearest desk.

Hermione gasped as the kiss finished but before she could speak Lucius’ mouth was back on hers, the kiss just as demanding and fevered as the previous one. His hands were groping, one squeezing her breast, the other moving under her skirt, and as she hit the desk she gave a small cry as his fingers breached her knickers, two fingers pushing roughly inside her.

‘Perfect!’ he whispered as he kissed her again, his fingers thrusting and twisting as his other hand continued to fondle her breast, fingers finding the rapidly stiffening nipple through her clothes.

‘Lucius,’ Hermione managed to say before another kiss engulfed her.

Her heart was beating so hard she thought it was going to burst, and although a little part of her mind was cautioning her, telling her to push Lucius away and get out of there, most of her was ignoring the thought. Somehow Lucius, with his suave good looks and amazingly passionate kisses, had managed to get her stirred up and she needed to act on it; she had to or she would go mad with desire. Her hand moved to touch the front of his trousers, the large bulge already obvious.

Lucius groaned into her mouth as Hermione touched him, his fingers moving even harder, his thumb now under the knickers and rubbing at her clit, sending little shivers of pleasure throughout her body. Without thinking, Hermione undid his trousers, eager to get to what was within; the kisses continued, stopping all chance for speech.

As soon as he was released Lucius pressed himself against her, hand no longer on her breast but positioning her back against the desk as he removed his fingers, pulling her knickers aside, his hardness prodding at her tight entrance.

They both cried out as he entered her, but it wasn’t long before Lucius was helping Hermione to move, now resting her on the edge of the desk so he could get a better position. Again he pushed and Hermione wrapped her legs around his back, her eyes fluttering as his mouth found her throat with whisper-soft kisses before returning to her mouth. Hard and fast they rutted, neither caring about anything but their own pleasure.

‘Oh fuck, that feels so good,’ Lucius suddenly announced, breaking off from their current kiss, apparently feeling the need to proclaim. He gave a loud cry of joy, then after a couple more quick thrusts he pulled out, his wand already in his hand to perform a cleaning charm.

Hermione was completely stunned, seemingly unable to do anything but watch him as, grinning louchely, he put himself away, then performed a cleaning charm on her, too. Still reeling from what had just happened, Hermione slid from the desk and pulled her skirt down. Without saying anything she followed Lucius out of the door.

Back in the Atrium, which suddenly seemed too bright and far too loud with so many people milling around, Hermione finally found her voice.

‘I can’t believe—’ she began furiously, ready to berate Lucius for his behaviour despite the little voice in her mind that had cautioned her previously now pointing out smugly that she had been at least as bad as him.

She was cut off from her rant by a bluff and hearty voice. ‘Ah, Lucius, there you are, old fellow. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.’

Hermione tried not to groan as yet another person she would rather not have to spend any time with joined them, pumping Lucius’ hand vigorously as the man clapped him on the back jovially. Cornelius Fudge was an ex-Minister for Magic and had allowed Lucius to get away with absolutely anything during his time in office; he had also made some terrible decisions which had been some of the main causes of the wizarding war.

Although now long retired from the Ministry, Fudge still had quite a few friends there and so regularly poked his nose in where it wasn’t required. For this reason, and because of the trouble he had caused for Harry and by extension her and Ron when they were at school, Hermione really had no time for the man and knew she would find it even more of a challenge to be friendly to him than to Lucius, who did at least have the patina of likability about him. But it didn’t really matter. He hadn’t seemed to notice she was there, busy as he was with the blond-haired man.

Hermione was still in shock from what Lucius had just done to her and couldn’t believe she had allowed him to . . . gods, was she really that desperate? It appeared she was, whatever she tried to tell herself to the contrary. Now it was over she was horrified. It was bad enough that she had let him do it, but he was a married man and she had been at school with his son, for Merlin’s sake . . . and he had always detested her. Obviously, he had managed to get over his hatred for Muggle-borns at some point in the last decade.

She glanced at him and for a second Lucius broke off from listening to Fudge to stare at her in return, his eyes twinkling with mirth. He knew how angry she was with him for what had happened and why, and he was enjoying her discomfort, the bastard.

Thinking she ought to make the effort to at least take notice of the conversation, if only to stop obsessing about what had just happened, Hermione tuned into Fudge, who was still talking. She realised with surprise that he wasn’t alone. There was another man of about the same age as Fudge standing quietly, waiting to get a word in. He was large and had a craggy face with a greying moustache.

‘. . . Anyway, Selwyn here was saying that he was going to approach you for a position on some blasted committee he’s setting up. He’d heard you’d come back and was most eager to approach you. I said I’d set up the introductions.’ Fudge took a sip of his drink, then chuckled and nudged Lucius in the ribs. ‘Told him you’d have plenty of time for that sort of thing under the circumstances. I’ll have to see if I can set you up for a few more . . . unless you’re already busy?’

Lucius shook his head slightly. He looked amused. ‘Give me a chance, Cornelius, I’ve only been back for five minutes.’

He turned to Selwyn and held his hand out, ‘Good to meet you, Selwyn. So what’s this committee you want to lure me onto?’

‘It’s to do with a building project to renovate Diagon Alley,’ Selwyn told him. ‘I understand you’ve been quite involved with previous such projects and thought you would be a useful man to have on the committee, although I’m aware you live in France these days.’

Hermione was just debating whether to cut her losses and go and get another drink and forget about confronting Lucius about his despicable behaviour when she was once again brought up short.

‘I no longer live there,’ Lucius said. ‘I’ve moved back to the UK permanently.’

‘That’s good for us,’ Selwyn said unctuously. ‘Did you finally have enough of the French and feel a need to get back to civilised society?’ He chuckled as if he had made a joke.

Lucius stared at him coolly for a moment. ‘No, I returned because of the divorce.’ His eyes caught Hermione’s as she stared at him, once again surprised. ‘There was no way I was giving Narcissa Malfoy Manor and she didn’t really want to come back anyway, so I gave her the chateau in Corrèze and came home.’

‘Lucius is now the most eligible bachelor in the wizarding world,’ Fudge chimed in happily. ‘The women will be flocking around you once they find out that you’re single again.’

Lucius tried to appear deprecating but didn’t really succeed. He laughed. ‘As I said, I’ve only just got back — all in good time.’

Fudge continued convivially, ‘I don’t think you’ll need to worry, there will be plenty of lovely ladies lining up for your attention.’ He seemed to notice Hermione for the first time and smiled. ‘Ah, the lovely Miss Granger. How are you, my dear? Lucius, perhaps you should invite this delightful young woman out. She would certainly be pleasant company for you. Unless you have other plans.’

Lucius smiled like a wolf. ‘I would be absolutely delighted to take Hermione out, Cornelius.’

He turned to Hermione. ‘Would you have dinner with me, Hermione? Shall we say the day after tomorrow?’

Hermione’s immediate impulse was to say no but she knew she would appear rude if she did that. Instead, she would have to accept now, then send an excuse later once she was away from Lucius and his friends. She smiled back just as brightly.  

‘Thank you, Lucius. I would very much like to go to dinner with you. Saturday would be perfect as I don’t have any other engagements that evening.’

Fudge clapped his hands together delightedly. ‘Splendid. That’s a date then.’ He nudged Lucius again and said conspiratorially, ‘I think I’ve done you a favour there, Lucius, she really is most delightful.’

‘I’m sure Hermione will be a most exquisite dinner companion,’ Lucius acknowledged. ‘I’m going to get another drink. Does anyone else want one?’

Hermione declined, and once the three men began to discuss the Diagon Alley project and Fudge started suggesting other equally boring-sounding committees that Lucius might want to consider she felt she was finally able to leave him, certain that he wasn’t likely to be doing anything the Ministry might find reprehensible.

She was feeling embarrassed now at what had occurred between them and she just wanted to go home and have a long hot bath and try to forget all about it. In the morning she would send Lucius an owl explaining that she couldn’t have dinner with him, and then hopefully everything would be back to normal and she could forget all about bloody Lucius Malfoy.

As she withdrew, having taken her leave of the men, Lucius caught her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. A tingle of excitement ran through Hermione but she fought it back down. What had happened between her and Lucius was an aberration, even if he wasn’t married any longer.

‘I’ll see you on Saturday evening, Hermione.’ Lucius’ voice was a lush drawl. ‘I’m really looking forward to it.’

Hermione couldn’t help the blush that stained her cheeks and she hurried off, eager to be away from him.

 

 

===***===

 

 

Hermione rushed up the road, wishing she was wearing more than the thin crocheted shawl that covered her shoulders. She had considered it a good idea when she left but she hadn’t realised how chilly the wind was and was now regretting not putting on a coat. At least she didn’t have far to go as the restaurant was just around the corner.

She had never intended to have dinner with Lucius and had actually been trying to work out what excuse she was going to give for cancelling when she received a message from him confirming the time and venue. Although Hermione hadn’t forgiven him for his attack on her and she felt guilty with herself for being so needy that she had given in so easily, she was intrigued by the restaurant he had chosen and found herself vacillating.

Interestingly, he had chosen one of the newest and most exciting Muggle restaurants in London, a place called Texture, which surprised Hermione immensely considering what she knew of the man. But then, remembering his treatment of her during the party, she supposed his views must have been very firmly changed during his time abroad. Perhaps he wasn’t as bad as she was still thinking him to be.

The opportunity to try Icelandic cuisine was appealing, as was the fact that it was somewhere she would never be able to afford to go normally. Also, however hard she tried to ignore it Lucius was, despite being old enough to be her father, extremely handsome and was probably, when not trying to wind her up, excellent company. Add to that the fact that it was Saturday night and she really did have nowhere else to go so would otherwise be tucked up in her lounge wearing her pyjamas with a cup of cocoa and a book, and Hermione felt her resolve slipping.

Lucius was waiting for her outside the restaurant. Hermione was pleased to see that he had made an effort to look Muggle; she’d had visions of him sweeping in wearing a cloak or something and really embarrassing her, but instead he was dressed in a pale grey Yves St Laurent suit that didn’t seem as if it had come off the peg; from the way it fit him so perfectly it had to be couture. His long hair was tied with a matching ribbon and she had to admit that he did look visually appealing. She was glad she had made the effort to dress up, although her clothes were nowhere near as expensive as his.

‘I’m pleased you decided to come this evening, Hermione,’ he told her with a pleasant smile once she joined him. ‘You look beautiful.’

Hermione blushed, not used to accepting compliments.

‘You look nice too, very smart. That’s a nice suit.’

Lucius grinned and gave her a small bow. ‘We do our best.’

He moved towards Hermione and wrapped his arms around her, holding tight as he kissed her; a kiss with every bit as much depth and passion as the ones they had shared at the party. Hermione’s heart began to thud again, and she tried to calm herself. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were just supposed to be going for a pleasant meal, nothing more.

‘Are you sure you want to go for a meal?’ Lucius asked, his voice darkly seductive. It was as if he had read her mind. ‘We could always . . . .’ He left the suggestion open, allowing Hermione to make the decision.

Before he could kiss her again, Hermione pulled out of his arms.

‘I hope we are going for a meal,’ she told him. ‘I haven’t eaten all day and I’m absolutely bloody starving.’

Lucius chuckled amiably. ‘In that case, I’d better get you into the restaurant before you faint or something.’

He held out his arm and Hermione took it, and he led her through the door of the restaurant as she tried to calm her somewhat frazzled nerves.

The restaurant was modern in style, the Georgian room sharply decorated; the stark white of the walls was broken up with colourful modern art. The food turned out to be every bit as good as Hermione had hoped it would be.

The wines the sommelier had paired with the meal were perfect; her choice of the Norwegian king crab with asparagus turned out to be an outstanding pairing for the main course of Icelandic cod. Lucius had chosen scallops to start, followed by Black Angus beef, both of which he declared exceptional, once again surprising Hermione with his lack of enmity toward something cooked by a Muggle.

Hermione was astonished at how easy she found it to talk to Lucius, although she suspected that the good food and the delicious wine were helping. Despite his dark past he was an interesting man, and the conversation between them didn’t feel at all stilted or forced nor was there any sarcasm or bitterness which she might have expected and very little of the topics they covered referred to their shared history.

In fact, if anything they were getting on rather too well. Hermione knew Lucius was flirting with her although initially he was fairly subtle about it, and she also knew she should be rebuffing his advances. Instead, she found herself flirting back. By the time they moved on to dessert, an impressively tasty Icelandic vanilla skyr paired with tart rhubarb, neither of them was keeping their interest hidden.

Hermione knew Lucius wanted her and she was a little disconcerted to realise how much she wanted him, too, the after dinner drinks and coffee a distraction that she couldn’t wait to dispense with. She had no idea what was going to happen next, but with the state of arousal she now felt she really hoped it was going to involve more of those wonderful kisses at the very least.

Outside the restaurant, Lucius pulled her into his arms once more, seeming to need the contact as much as she desired it. They kissed and for a few minutes there was nothing except her and Lucius, just their heat and passion and the kiss that seemed to go on forever.

‘Are you going to invite me back to your place, then?’ Lucius asked, trying to sound casual although both of them knew it was anything but. His voice was huskier now, his desire evident.

Hermione stared at him in surprise. ‘You want to go to my flat?’

Lucius chuckled. ‘Well, I’d rather not stay out here all night, unless you want to. But that wind’s a bit stiff—’ He broke off, not adding the final words although the sparkle in his eyes and his body pressed against hers said it all.

‘I thought you’d want to go to your home,’ she said, suddenly wondering why he didn’t want to take her there and instantly jumping to the worst possible conclusions. Perhaps he and Narcissa weren’t really divorced, or maybe he already had another partner he had neglected to mention when Fudge was exalting him as bachelor of the year, who was sitting at home, even now, wondering what time Lucius was going to be home.

He stared at her tenderly. ‘I have to admit I’m interested to see where you live, Hermione, so call it being nosey if you want.’ He gave her a squeeze, then added, ‘Also, I thought you might be a bit wary about going to Malfoy Manor after the last time you were there.’

Hermione stared back, not sure whether to hug him or run away. It had been such a long time since she had thought of the terrible things that had happened to her at the hands of his family on that awful night so long ago; she had locked it away with all the other bad things she and her friends had gone through during the war.

Even being in his company hadn’t made her think about it, apart from a brief whisper of a thought that she had easily pushed away. But now, after deliberately avoiding the topic all evening, Lucius was reminding her of why she should hate him, why she should remove herself from his arms and his company and never speak to him again. At the same time, he was showing immense consideration for her, something she knew the old Lucius would never have done, and it made her heart swell with good feeling for him. A delicious tingle inside made her want to grab him and . . . .

‘Did I say something wrong?’ Lucius asked gently. He was frowning now. ‘I’m sorry, I should never have mentioned—’

Hermione kissed him, cutting off his apology, wanting him to know that her desire was as strong as his.

‘Let’s go,’ she said once they finished.

Lucius released her and offered his arm. Hermione took it and they walked around the corner and down the road to a quiet alleyway that was a useful Apparition spot.

‘It’s not very grand,’ Hermione warned him as they wrapped their arms around each other.

‘Does it have a bed?’ Lucius asked cheekily.

Hermione grinned. ‘Yes.’

‘Then it will be perfect,’ he told her.

 

 

===***===

 

 

They were standing in Hermione’s lounge, which now she looked at it was a little more untidy than she would have liked for a first impression of the place. Fortunately, Lucius hadn’t yet noticed as he was staring at her, his arms still around her, but it wouldn’t be long until they broke apart. Hermione wondered if she could get him to the bedroom without him seeing, remembering countless films where the couple had continued kissing as they moved, something she was now realising was actually almost impossible to achieve in her flat without one of them sustaining an injury.

She had a sudden panic that the bedroom, too, was a mess, with discarded clothes and shoes all over the bed and floor, most of them outfits she had tried on whilst trying to decide what to wear for the meal. That meant she couldn’t take him in there, either, which meant there were only two other choices: the bathroom, which still had all her makeup spread around all over the place — Hermione was now wishing she hadn’t taken quite so long to decide on her outfit and had spent a few minutes putting everything away — or the kitchen, which was relatively tidy, at least compared to the rest of the flat. The kitchen did, at least, have the benefit of being the place where the alcohol, and all the other drinks come to that, was stored and there were a couple of chairs, but that was about it as far as good features went.

For a moment Hermione remembered the scene from the film _Love Actually_ where the woman had left her potential lover while she dashed off to the bedroom to do a quick clear up, but then that was a film so she hadn’t left him in an untidy lounge which he was bound to look around and judge while she was away, and it had taken her only thirty seconds to completely tidy the room and have it looking perfect for seduction.

She didn’t have a perfectly placed sofa to hide her clothes under, and even throwing them all over the chair she had in her room wasn’t going to make the place look any less untidy and hanging them all up would take far too long. Lucius would surely have left in disgust by the time she finished.

Her mind was taken off her décor problems by another kiss, and instead she concentrated on that, considering how wonderful every kiss with Lucius had been even from the first when he had pulled her into the office. Not one dud; it was as if they were made to kiss each other. That thought made her giggle, which had Lucius staring at her as she pulled out of the kiss.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked worriedly.

Hermione shook her head and kissed him again, wondering how she was going to suggest moving to the kitchen and still maintain her suave and sophisticated image, and also how she was going to get him there without him looking around. But it seemed that Lucius had other ideas. His hands now moved over her body with more intent as they kissed.

‘I’m completely torn as to which way to go,’ he admitted to her at the end of another wonderful kiss that left Hermione’s lips tingling.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked, sounding confused.

He grinned. ‘I can’t decide whether to just push you down onto the sofa and fuck you senseless or take you to bed and unwrap you slowly, kiss every inch of your gorgeous body, and then fuck you senseless. They both have their appeal and I can’t decide which I need more.’ Hermione stared at him, both surprised and impressed at his directness. ‘Perhaps I should let you decide for me,’ he finished.

Hermione was amazed at the wave of arousal that spread through her at his words, her mind conjuring the images, ignoring now the clothes on the bed and the piles of paperwork and books spread all over her lounge. She remembered the feel of his body on hers, the wonderful feel of his cock inside her, and knew that she didn’t care what Lucius did just as long as he did something.

‘I don’t mind,’ she whispered, sounding almost breathless. ‘You decide.’

Lucius gave a low growl and pulled her towards the sofa, his pale eyes glinting as he pushed her down beneath him. His hands were already pulling the skirt of her silky dress up as she slid the shawl from her shoulders before the delicate material ended up damaged. She dropped it over the side of the sofa onto the floor – yet another thing to pick up later.

Hermione brought her mind back to the current situation. Lucius was working on her knickers now, trying to pull them down. It seemed this time he wanted to remove them rather than just move them out of the way. She lifted her bottom off the sofa and he gave another growl, presumably of pleasure, then found her mouth with his again as she undid and pulled down his trousers, searching for and releasing his already rock-hard erection.

As before, Lucius was on her within seconds, not even bothering with foreplay this time but seeming to understand that Hermione didn’t need it, that she was as aroused as he. As he pushed her down, his cock slid into her and they both cried out loudly.

Lucius stopped for a moment to check that Hermione’s cry wasn’t of pain due to not being aroused enough, but reassured by the look she gave him in return he began thrusting hard, his hands moving to pull down the small spaghetti straps of her dress, dropping the top to her waist as he kissed her throat.

Hermione’s hands slipped behind her back to undo her bra and Lucius pulled it away from her, his mouth moving slowly down her throat with small whisper-soft kisses, across her décolleté and down to bury his face in her now-freed breasts, moaning loudly with pleasure. She cried out, too, as his mouth found one of her nipples, his teeth tugging gently on the stiff bud before licking and sucking it.

She wrapped her hands around him, grabbing both his buttocks and pushing him inside her deeper as he thrust, her back arching slightly as she raised her mound to meet him. Lucius broke off his assault on her nipples to move back to her face, another of those blistering kisses making both their hearts race as they continued to drive each other on.

Then Lucius was crying out, his thrusts suddenly shorter and sharper before his body tensed and he sighed loudly, crumpling onto Hermione and whispering her name into her hair. He stayed there for only a couple of seconds before moving and helping Hermione to sit up.

He stared at her ruefully. ‘That’s two orgasms I owe you now. I just can’t seem to hang on long enough. You’re just too bloody sexy, Hermione.’

Hermione, who hadn’t been thinking at all in terms of orgasms but had thoroughly enjoyed what they had been doing, chuckled.

‘I didn’t realise we were counting.’

Lucius frowned. ‘I am. I don’t want you thinking I’m an inconsiderate lover.’

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a small peck on the lips. ‘I don’t. I’ve found it very enjoyable so far.’

He grinned. ‘Then perhaps we should move to the second option now. It would give me a chance to recover and you a chance to cum.’

‘I want a shower first,’ Hermione told him.

‘That sounds like a good idea,’ Lucius admitted.

He stood up and pulled Hermione up. She wriggled to let the dress fall to the floor. Lucius stared at her appreciatively.

‘You really are absolutely gorgeous, Hermione. I consider myself an extremely fortunate man right now.’

Hermione blushed at the compliment, suddenly feeling embarrassed under Lucius’ intense gaze. She tried to take her mind off it by staring back at him, taking in his now rumpled suit. He was pulling up his trousers and underpants from where they had been around his knees.

‘Your lovely suit,’ she said sadly. ‘It’s ruined.’

Lucius looked down at himself and shrugged. ‘It was worth it. That was bloody amazing.’

‘Yes, it was,’ Hermione agreed.

‘Shower?’ Lucius asked gently.

Hermione nodded and pointed towards the hall. ‘I’m afraid the bathroom’s a bit of a mess,’ she admitted as they made their way out of the lounge. ‘I was running late so I didn’t have time to put my makeup away before I went out.’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Lucius told her.

Hermione entered the bathroom first, moving rapidly to clear away the makeup lying around the room as Lucius undressed. She got into the shower and turned it on, enjoying the feel of the hot water on her still aroused skin. A minute or so later Lucius joined her, his arms wrapping around her as he pulled her back against him.

‘Thank you for this, Hermione,’ he said softly, kissing the top of her head.

She smiled and closed her eyes, not bothering to respond but thoroughly enjoying the feeling of the shower and the man holding her.

When they had finished and both were wrapped in towels, Hermione realised she had no choice but to take Lucius to her bedroom. It was the next logical stage, but she still had the problem of all the clothes strewn about the room.

‘It’s a bit—’

‘—of a mess?’ Lucius completed her statement, turning it into a question, with a smile on his lips and amusement in his voice. ‘I know, you were running late.’

‘I couldn’t decide what to wear,’ Hermione admitted as she opened the door to what looked like an explosion in a clothing factory.

‘I really like the dress you chose,’ Lucius told her as he stared around the room. ‘It was very sexy but not overtly so, and the colour suits you perfectly. I like you in blue.’

‘I’ll just pick these up and move them,’ Hermione said feeling embarrassed, racing forwards to start kicking shoes under the bed as she reached for the clothes spread across it.

Lucius came to help her. ‘We can sort them out properly later,’ he told her as he dumped the clothes he had picked up on the floor at the foot of the bed. Hermione stared at him for a second, then followed suit.

He moved towards her, taking her in his arms and kissing her.

‘Now it’s time to finally give you some pleasure.’

Hermione began to protest, wanting to tell Lucius that she had already received pleasure from what they had done before, but he cut her off with another kiss and pushed her onto the bed. His fingers undid the towel, opening it to reveal her naked body once more.

‘Not much to unwrap this time,’ he whispered as his mouth captured hers briefly before moving downwards, those butterfly kisses once again tickling her damp skin, their range covering not only her décolleté and breasts but her shoulders and down her arms. It seemed his determination to kiss all of her was not just words.

Hermione lay back and closed her eyes, her stomach fluttering with a sense of pleasure she hadn’t felt in a long time. She sighed as Lucius’ mouth traversed her body and a small throb deep inside her grew as he moved lower, stopping only briefly at her nipples. This felt so wonderful and she couldn’t believe that it was Lucius Malfoy who was making her feel so good.

She laughed and twitched as his tongue reached her belly button, tickling her. His fingers were now gently caressing her skin too, swirling patterns that made goosebumps erupt as her arousal continued to grow. The dull ache grew too, as he parted her legs. She gasped as Lucius’ tongue connected with her clitoris, the warm wet appendage licking deliberately slowly all around it before sucking gently. She squealed and Lucius chuckled, raising his head for a moment to look at her before returning to his task.

His hands moved her legs apart further; his tongue moved in the same swirling movements as his fingers, caressing and covering her entire slit, working his way down towards her anus, where his tongue prodded at the small hole for a heart-stopping moment of joy before working his way back up. He went deeper now, burying his face in her, opening her up to taste her better. Hermione cried out loudly, her back arching as she strove to push herself onto his magnificent tongue.

Lucius chuckled again and pulled her legs over his shoulders, settling himself for a more concerted assault on Hermione’s vulva; he, too, moaned with enjoyment at what he was getting from the experience. He was buzzing from the obvious pleasure Hermione was deriving from what he was doing and he was determined to make her cum. He enjoyed hearing her shallowing breathing interspersed with small squeals and twitches. As she got wetter and more sensitive she began to try to pull away, but he wrapped his arms around her legs, trapping her so she couldn’t move unless he wanted her to.

Another intense assault followed, where he completely ignored Hermione’s pleading for him to stop because it was too nice, knowing she didn’t really mean it and this meant she was close.  Then her body went stiff; she began to gasp, and then to move again, thrashing wildly as she screamed, her beautiful skin shimmering like diamonds and flushed like a rose, and Lucius savoured the taste of her as her orgasm exploded.

Afterwards, once she had calmed enough for Lucius to let her go, he kissed her mound and moved up the bed to join her, his own towel now on the floor. He was hard again but knew Hermione needed time to recover so he pulled her to him, his mouth finding hers again, enjoying the kissing every bit as much as everything else they had done.

 

 

===***===

 

 

Hermione lay in Lucius’ arms feeling completely spent but more elated than she had done for years. She knew Lucius, too, was unable to move, their bodies having given everything they could; now they needed to sleep, to recover and calm down.

The second time they made love had been slower and more tender, something she would have expected from a long-term lover rather than one who had been so rough in his previous handling of her, but it had been magnificent. Lucius had lived up to his promise and easily provided her with her second climax of the evening.

There had been a third for both of them too, some time later; the feeling for Hermione was, amazingly, even deeper and seemed to encompass her entire body, leaving her slightly overwhelmed, tears escaping at the sheer heady intensity of it. It was nothing like she had ever felt before and she couldn’t help but feel grateful to Lucius for what he had given her.

Now they were almost asleep, warm and comfortable in her bed, fitting together as perfectly as she could ever hope, and Hermione realised that her feelings for Lucius had been irrevocably changed. She had no idea where their relationship would go from here, or whether there even was a relationship — for all she knew he might never want to see her again after tonight. But somehow she didn’t think that was the case.

‘Thank you, Lucius,’ she murmured drowsily. She turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck, her forehead resting against his for a moment before she gently kissed his lips.

Lucius squeezed her. ‘It should be me thanking you, Hermione, although . . . actually, I should be thanking Cornelius. He was the one who paved the way for me to ask you out. Without him there would have been no dinner and then there wouldn’t have been this truly wonderful night of passion.’

‘I almost cancelled,’ Hermione admitted quietly. ‘I was just debating what excuse to give you when your message turned up.’

Lucius chuckled. ‘I had a feeling you might. What changed your mind? I know you were annoyed with me for what I initiated at the Ministry, even though you enjoyed it almost as much as I did.’

‘The restaurant you chose surprised me. I never expected you to choose a Muggle one, and it was such an expensive restaurant that I would never have been able to afford to go there myself,’ she told him honestly.

‘I’m glad I chose it, and not just because it got you to change your mind. The food was absolutely excellent, a feast for the senses as well as the stomach.’

He studied her for a moment; then, his tone more serious, he added, ‘I’ve changed in the last decade, Hermione, as have you. Neither of us is the person we once were, and for my part I think I’ve changed for the better. My views certainly have.

‘Moving to a larger country with a far more widespread wizarding population helped with that, I think. I was forced to interact with Muggles, something I’d never really had to do before, and it didn’t take long before I discovered that there was very little difference between us, except for the magic. After all the terrible things the Dark Lord had done, that didn’t seem so extraordinary any longer.

‘I finally realised that I had been so wrong in everything I believed and it was a terrible epiphany for me. I felt guilty for everything I had done in the service of that megalomaniac. I was hell to live with for a while — I drank a lot and wasn’t particularly nice to anyone, especially poor Narcissa, who really didn’t deserve the shit I put her through. But then I came out the other side and realised that it wasn’t too late to do good things rather than bad, hence all the investment in rebuilding.

‘I hadn’t intended to come back to the UK as it was still painful, but once it became clear that my marriage was over and Narcissa really wanted to see the back of me, I understandably reconsidered my future. It was something of a wrench to have to leave the chateau, it was a wonderful place that held much better memories overall than Malfoy Manor, but the manor is my family home. Although it will go to Draco one day and then eventually to his son, Scorpius, it is still mine for the time being and it seemed pointless to move back here and live somewhere else.

‘I was wrong about you, Hermione. All those years I hated you for what you represented and all that time I was completely wrong. I even poisoned my own son by teaching him the same hateful rhetoric that I so fervently believed, although maybe that worked out for a reason. If I hadn’t taught him to hate you he might have been married to you by now. I always knew his desire was strong enough, only held in check by his hatred. But now I’m the one in bed with you, not him.’

Hermione didn’t know what to say. Her mind and her emotions were reeling from Lucius’ words. Part of her wanted to hate him, wanted to force him from the bed and send him away for the years of trouble and bad feeling his hatred and bile had caused. But he was right, he was different now. Hermione knew the old Lucius would never have been able to admit his faults let alone try to atone for them, and he would never have even looked at her except as a creature beneath his contempt, let alone made love to her and so selflessly given her so much pleasure.

She had changed too. She was no longer the fierce, proud and easy to antagonise young girl who, when slighted, felt she had to fight everything to change it. Now she accepted that there were some things that could never be changed, but when things did and they were for the better you didn’t nitpick or criticise, you accepted it as the blessing it was.

It was difficult to get her head around the idea that Draco had fancied her at school despite all his fighting with her — or maybe that was what the fighting was about, she now realised — but even so she suspected that she and Draco were far too similar to have made it as a couple, whatever Lucius believed. Draco was another Ron: someone better as a lover in fantasy rather than reality.

Lucius was a different matter, though. He was a far better person than she had always imagined him, and as a lover he was sublime. The thought that he was so pleased to be here with her made Hermione far happier than she understood. Surely that meant there was some hope that this relationship, if that was what it was, might continue in the future?

‘What are you thinking?’ Lucius asked, worried that he might have said too much.

‘I don’t think Draco and I would have suited each other,’ Hermione said. ‘We’re too much alike. It would never have worked.’

Lucius longed to ask Hermione what her opinion on the two of them was, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to ask in case the answer disappointed him. He hoped she understood from his implied comments how important and precious she was to him, and he knew she had enjoyed their lovemaking despite her attempts to be outraged about it. But would she consider something more long-term or was this going to be a short and tempestuous affair that would rage like a fireball and burn itself out within weeks? He knew what he wanted, had known ever since the minute he had set eyes on her for the first time in ten years.

‘Do you think there’s any chance that you would ever feel comfortable visiting Malfoy Manor again?’ he asked. The question was an important one. If the answer was negative it would seriously impact his ability to further their relationship.

Hermione considered the question for several long seconds as she continued to look at him. She was sure she knew what the question represented and knew her answer was as important as the question itself.

‘Are you going to lock me in the cellar again or do I get a bed this time?’ she asked wryly.

Lucius grinned. ‘You can have the best bed in the house, Hermione — which is mine, of course.’

‘I might have to try all of them to see which one really is the best,’ she shot back.

‘I’m happy to put a bed in every room if it helps to get you there.’ He was chuckling now and it relaxed Hermione even more.

‘How many bedrooms do you have?’ she enquired.

‘Fifteen.’

She grinned wickedly. ‘I think that’ll do to start with. I’m sure one of them must be suitable for our needs.’

Lucius pulled her towards him and held her tight as he kissed her. Hermione’s heart sped up for a moment with pure delight at his touch then calmed as she knew everything was going to work out.

‘We really should go to sleep,’ she said, although she wasn’t feeling tired any longer.

‘Have I worn you out, then?’ Lucius asked smugly.

Hermione arched an eyebrow. ‘Not at all. I’m raring to go, but I know you’re an old man so you probably need a good sleep to get your energy back.’

‘Old man, is it?’ Lucius said as he rolled on top of Hermione, his hands moving to grab hers and holding her down beneath him, now his captive. He pressed his erection against her mound and whispered in her ear, ‘You’ll need to work much harder than that to wear me out, Hermione.’

She laughed delightedly. ‘Good, because I really want you to fuck me again.’

‘Any time you want,’ he promised.

‘I like you, Lucius,’ Hermione admitted.

‘I’m pretty sure I love you,’ Lucius countered.

Hermione kissed him, then moved her pelvis indicating that Lucius needed to move, too. He moved slightly and she sighed happily.

‘Oh god, that feels so good.’

‘Even better in a minute,’ Lucius promised.

They moved together, their bodies picking up each other’s rhythm, all thoughts of sleep pushed away by their desire. Lucius released Hermione’s hands and they rolled over so she was on top, riding him as he lay back and let her take control. It was different but as intense as every other time and neither of them lasted long. Hermione collapsed on top of him, her head resting on his chest as she listened to his heartbeat. He wrapped his arm around her, his free hand gently stroking her hair.

‘That’s the problem with you youngsters, you’ve got no stamina,’ he joked.

Hermione raised her head to look at him. ‘Just you wait until the morning. We’ll see who’s got no stamina then.’

‘Promises, promises.’

‘Oh, I think that’s one I can keep,’ Hermione said happily, ‘but now I want to sleep with you.’ She moved to a more comfortable position echoing the one they had been in earlier when they had nearly fallen asleep. ‘I look forward to seeing you when I wake up in the morning,’ she admitted, knowing that she actually meant it. The idea of waking up in Lucius’ arms filled her with more pleasure than she would ever admit, especially to her mother . . . or Mrs Weasley.

‘What makes you think I’ll still be here?’ Lucius asked.

‘You will,’ Hermione stated confidently. ‘You wouldn’t take the chance.’

Lucius kissed the top of her head. ‘You’re quite right. In fact, I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep without you.’

‘Good,’ Hermione said. She was sleepy again now.

‘Goodnight, my love,’ Lucius whispered.

Hermione smiled as she curled into him. Tomorrow was the start of her new life and she already knew it was going to be wonderful. The gorgeous man holding her would ensure that.


End file.
